March is supposed to come IN like a lion but go out like a lamb, right?
Notsomuch in my little hometown, nosirree. On my better days, I can sit in my tract home, hoping the walls stand up to the gale force winds, thanking God for his might and for my shelter. But most of the time I just grumble.
Tomorrow is April. I can hope for calmer weather. I can also hope to come up with a great April Fool's joke, but nothing is coming to mind.
But since this began as a letter to the complaint department, let's just finish it off:
As much as I love my new oven, I am frankly afraid of all the disasters that await since I today discovered that the timer sounds a gentle "beeeep" only once and then nothing. Just burnt banana bread.
Les Miserables is 1,463 pages??? Criminy! When (if) I get my eyesight back, I'm taking it on, though. Anyone care to join me? P.S. Why did they translate the whole 1,463 pages but not the title? Even I know what the title means in English. Do your job, people!
Our school district is seemingly HORRIFIED that only 25 parents have filled out their online survey. Frankly, you'd think they'd be relieved. With all the budget cuts, I would anticipate some cuss words and slander. Might as well take those 25 respondents and call it good.
Why can't I have a friend in every career field? It would sure come in handy. I especially right now need an appraiser (precious metals and antiques); an eye doc; a literary genius of a broad sort; and maybe a massage therapist. In my personal life, the scales are tipped career-wise in favor of engineers, InterVarsity staff, attorneys, and teachers. Hm.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
E Bucket
Cayna was excited to fill the letter bucket from her Kindergarten class, and her presentation went well. It was just so cute I don't want to forget, so here is what she included in the mix:
Eyeball - made from a golfball and a Sharpie
Earrings - a sparkly, blue, hang-down-y, gaudy pair that I detest and she LOVES
Equal sign - I believe this was Joe's idea, and he drew one on a blue piece of paper
Ewok - thanks to Kevin's old Star Wars action figures.
Enchilada Sauce - right out of the pantry
Elephant - a paper-bag-puppet version made by Cayna
Egg Separator - pronounced, in Cayna's Jersey accent: "Egg Sep-uh-way-duh"
She vetoed my idea of including an "e-mail". Sheesh. She goes for the Ewok, but not the e-mail. I don't get it.
Eyeball - made from a golfball and a Sharpie
Earrings - a sparkly, blue, hang-down-y, gaudy pair that I detest and she LOVES
Equal sign - I believe this was Joe's idea, and he drew one on a blue piece of paper
Ewok - thanks to Kevin's old Star Wars action figures.
Enchilada Sauce - right out of the pantry
Elephant - a paper-bag-puppet version made by Cayna
Egg Separator - pronounced, in Cayna's Jersey accent: "Egg Sep-uh-way-duh"
She vetoed my idea of including an "e-mail". Sheesh. She goes for the Ewok, but not the e-mail. I don't get it.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Eyeballs
Cayna brought the "Letter Bucket" home from Kindergarten. We're supposed to go around the house and hunt for things that start with the letter "E" and send them back to school to be investigated by the whole class. Probably thanks to my eye surgery, Cayna had eyeballs on the brain, so we made an eyeball out of a golfball for her to include in the bucket.
Naturally, the golfball eyeball segues right into my surgery.
Tuesday afternoon Kevin drove me across town to the surgery center. I had some more photos taken of my eyes and was given a Valium. Yum. If they weren't addictive, I would for SURE be trying to get a prescription for those nifty little buggers. My husband is funny, but he was even MORE funny while I was on that drug. Life was light and happy and I had no worries.
Finally it was my turn and my buddy Beth from Shepherd Eye Center (which I highly recommend) walked us to the laser room. I reclined on the lounge-like table, was given a stuffed lion to hold onto and the surgery began. Kevin waited outside the door and watched through the window. That is where he took this photo:
See my pretty eyeball on the screen? I'm telling you, regardless of your feelings on elective surgery and this use of money --- it was a miracle. It was absolutely painless, took fifteen seconds per eye, was attended by the best doctor I've ever met (seriously, if OBs used some of the methods this guy and his staff used, there would be better hospital births out there). And I walked out into the Las Vegas sunlit afternoon on Sahara Avenue with my taped-on eyeshields and dorky big sunglasses and I could read a sign across the six-lane street. I haven't seen that far on my own since before fifth grade. I was and still am completely in AWE.
As soon as I realized my eyesight had been restored by God, a doctor, and a VERY extensive lot of technology, I wondered how much longer til they can do that for people with spinal injuries and resultant handicaps.
I can't get my uncle out of my mind. He was thrown from a car at age nineteen and has been a quadriplegic ever since. He finished college at U of A and went to work, married, and adopted two sons. He still lives in Tucson in a house downtown where my aunt works as a district attorney. He is retired and tries to find time to work on his motorcycle. He wants to adapt it to operate from the sidecar where he sits. He has medical problems, stemming from thirty-eight years of not feeling anything, and I would give any amount of money and time if I could watch him wheel into a surgery center, get zapped with some lasers and walk out.
I have NO idea why this strikes me this way. I can't express how much I appreciate this surgery, even though I didn't even need it - my "handicap" was so minor. But I'm glad I got it. I'm astounded at technology. I'm in love with Dr. Robert B. Taylor, III, M/D. and the staff at Shepherd Eye Center, and I have hope that if Uncle Ed doesn't walk again on earth, he will come to believe in and know Jesus Christ so he can walk in heaven.
Didn't think my post on eye surgery would go this way, but that's what's going on in my head. Praise Jesus for all He is and does.
Naturally, the golfball eyeball segues right into my surgery.
Tuesday afternoon Kevin drove me across town to the surgery center. I had some more photos taken of my eyes and was given a Valium. Yum. If they weren't addictive, I would for SURE be trying to get a prescription for those nifty little buggers. My husband is funny, but he was even MORE funny while I was on that drug. Life was light and happy and I had no worries.
Finally it was my turn and my buddy Beth from Shepherd Eye Center (which I highly recommend) walked us to the laser room. I reclined on the lounge-like table, was given a stuffed lion to hold onto and the surgery began. Kevin waited outside the door and watched through the window. That is where he took this photo:
See my pretty eyeball on the screen? I'm telling you, regardless of your feelings on elective surgery and this use of money --- it was a miracle. It was absolutely painless, took fifteen seconds per eye, was attended by the best doctor I've ever met (seriously, if OBs used some of the methods this guy and his staff used, there would be better hospital births out there). And I walked out into the Las Vegas sunlit afternoon on Sahara Avenue with my taped-on eyeshields and dorky big sunglasses and I could read a sign across the six-lane street. I haven't seen that far on my own since before fifth grade. I was and still am completely in AWE.
As soon as I realized my eyesight had been restored by God, a doctor, and a VERY extensive lot of technology, I wondered how much longer til they can do that for people with spinal injuries and resultant handicaps.
I can't get my uncle out of my mind. He was thrown from a car at age nineteen and has been a quadriplegic ever since. He finished college at U of A and went to work, married, and adopted two sons. He still lives in Tucson in a house downtown where my aunt works as a district attorney. He is retired and tries to find time to work on his motorcycle. He wants to adapt it to operate from the sidecar where he sits. He has medical problems, stemming from thirty-eight years of not feeling anything, and I would give any amount of money and time if I could watch him wheel into a surgery center, get zapped with some lasers and walk out.
I have NO idea why this strikes me this way. I can't express how much I appreciate this surgery, even though I didn't even need it - my "handicap" was so minor. But I'm glad I got it. I'm astounded at technology. I'm in love with Dr. Robert B. Taylor, III, M/D. and the staff at Shepherd Eye Center, and I have hope that if Uncle Ed doesn't walk again on earth, he will come to believe in and know Jesus Christ so he can walk in heaven.
Didn't think my post on eye surgery would go this way, but that's what's going on in my head. Praise Jesus for all He is and does.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Adios, Appliances.
It's quite a goodbye theme I've got going here.
The kind and generous parents of some friends of ours offered the brand-new appliances they were replacing to us. With help, Kevin picked them up Saturday and then on his own finished the installation over the weekend. We are now thankful owners of a stove with FOUR working burners, a new microwave, and a dishwasher that makes me realize how sadly the old one worked.
It was gross to clean out under and behind the spaces where the oven and dishwasher go, but Cayna enjoyed finding a few treasures. She discovered such amazing prizes under the dishwasher, that she hovered near the oven while Kevin pulled it out. Here she is after alerting her sister to the possibility of new (though grimy) toys.
The kind and generous parents of some friends of ours offered the brand-new appliances they were replacing to us. With help, Kevin picked them up Saturday and then on his own finished the installation over the weekend. We are now thankful owners of a stove with FOUR working burners, a new microwave, and a dishwasher that makes me realize how sadly the old one worked.
It was gross to clean out under and behind the spaces where the oven and dishwasher go, but Cayna enjoyed finding a few treasures. She discovered such amazing prizes under the dishwasher, that she hovered near the oven while Kevin pulled it out. Here she is after alerting her sister to the possibility of new (though grimy) toys.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Farewell, Facebook. I'll miss ya.
There ARE people in the world who can utilize fun sites like Facebook without wasting enormous amounts of time lurking there waiting for updates on friends' pet hamsters.
These are likely the same people who can keep a whole package of Oreos in their pantry for up to a week...
...who can divide reading time into neat little half-hour segments, rather than devouring an entire novel in seventeen straight hours to the detriment of their marriage, children, and housekeeping...
...who approach exercise, discipleship, career, motherhood, friendship, and hobbies with a "step by step", not overly-analytical, take-it-as-it-comes mentality.
As you may or may not know, I am NOT one of those people. Case in point, I have compulsively checked my facebook page nearly every day since I joined, refreshing the sucker up to a dozen times a day, anxious for news from people who may or may not really be interested in hearing mine.
It has been fun, if tiring. I've learned all sorts of unnecessary tidbits about the lives of friends from California to Kenya. I reunited with one old college friend, and chatted with a long-ago acquaintance from high school.
Overall, though, it is pseudo-community (to use Kevin's word) and mostly it leaves me lonely. A while back, I considered "deactivating" my account when my former mother-in-law put in a friendship request - my resultant heart rate was unhealthy, to say the least. My reason for staying was that I had some wonderful family members in Pennsylvania and Germany and Idaho and Ecuador that it was fun to be "in touch" with. Problem is, I realized that just having their kind faces in the "friend" box didn't really mean we were in touch. This may be the way it is in 2009, but it isn't good enough for me. I suppose I'm putting myself in a rickety rocking chair on an imaginary front porch, complaining about the way the world has turned, but I'd rather have real communication with these people. And facebook can't give it to me (except with a few people that one could argue I'd talk to anyway one way or another). Because of those few people, I'm sad to say goodbye and I hope we find each other in real life somehow.
Sincerely,
Teri
These are likely the same people who can keep a whole package of Oreos in their pantry for up to a week...
...who can divide reading time into neat little half-hour segments, rather than devouring an entire novel in seventeen straight hours to the detriment of their marriage, children, and housekeeping...
...who approach exercise, discipleship, career, motherhood, friendship, and hobbies with a "step by step", not overly-analytical, take-it-as-it-comes mentality.
As you may or may not know, I am NOT one of those people. Case in point, I have compulsively checked my facebook page nearly every day since I joined, refreshing the sucker up to a dozen times a day, anxious for news from people who may or may not really be interested in hearing mine.
It has been fun, if tiring. I've learned all sorts of unnecessary tidbits about the lives of friends from California to Kenya. I reunited with one old college friend, and chatted with a long-ago acquaintance from high school.
Overall, though, it is pseudo-community (to use Kevin's word) and mostly it leaves me lonely. A while back, I considered "deactivating" my account when my former mother-in-law put in a friendship request - my resultant heart rate was unhealthy, to say the least. My reason for staying was that I had some wonderful family members in Pennsylvania and Germany and Idaho and Ecuador that it was fun to be "in touch" with. Problem is, I realized that just having their kind faces in the "friend" box didn't really mean we were in touch. This may be the way it is in 2009, but it isn't good enough for me. I suppose I'm putting myself in a rickety rocking chair on an imaginary front porch, complaining about the way the world has turned, but I'd rather have real communication with these people. And facebook can't give it to me (except with a few people that one could argue I'd talk to anyway one way or another). Because of those few people, I'm sad to say goodbye and I hope we find each other in real life somehow.
Sincerely,
Teri
Goodbye, Glasses.
Photographer Joseph took this shot of me this morning, as well as a close-up self-portrait which I will include for your enjoyment. This is the last photo of me in glasses hopefully for a decade or two. My corrective eye surgery is tomorrow.
No makeup, and no more for over a week. If I look tired, blame it on no mascara.
"Self-Portrait" by Joseph.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
18 Months!
John is a year and a half old today!
Special Skills: Throwing, Catching, Dribbling, Kicking, Starting Food Fights, Flashing his dimples, Eating Popsicles.
Vocab: Mama, Do-Do (Joe-Joe), uh-oh, bye, and a hilarious sound-effect whenever he throws something.
Favorite Fashion: Bright-red Crocs.
Biggest Mischief: Taking off down the street when we play outside; throwing food at his siblings; pinching and punching Bethanie, especially.
Nicknames: John Bon-Jovi; Johnny; John-Tom; Johnny-Johnny Leprechaun-y.
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